


Not for sale

by deusreks



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-27
Updated: 2015-01-11
Packaged: 2018-02-19 01:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2368754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deusreks/pseuds/deusreks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kei's faced him plenty of times shoulder-to-shoulder or on the other side of the volleyball net; never for any other reason, and never in his very private, very carefully planned, safe time away from the court.  Nevertheless, he took Kuroo’s hand and smiled bitterly, finding comfort in the sole fact that his summer couldn’t possibly get any worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Не продается](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3671517) by [named_Juan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/named_Juan/pseuds/named_Juan)



Kei woke up. The heat poured into his room and wrapped him in a thick coat of sweat. He lied on his back and cursed the early summer heat for giving him a _water_ bed he never asked for. His alarm clock rang half an hour later and he took a perfunctory shower before he quickly changed into black shorts and a plain white t-shirt.

It had been 6.45am by the time he was off to his very first day of being a part-time convenience store worker. He didn’t imagine his summer as a series of walks to the nearest 7-eleven but the AC at home was broken and he recently saw a pair of slickest headphones that promised to silence even the noisiest of people in every social situation – but at a price he couldn’t ask his mother’s help for.

When he arrived, the manager was standing in front of the store, his hands folded neatly behind his slouched back as he greeted the morning rush – elderly people like himself and business men. He spotted Kei and soothingly patted him on the back when he approached, just like he did on the day of the interview. Kei remembered being particularly nervous on that day, afraid that his lack of politeness and smoothness of the tongue would cost him a job, but that pat on the back eased him into a pleasant conversation.

“Good morning, sunny boy. Are you ready for your first day?” The manager smiled, revealing a row of white teeth, fake by the unnatural reflection they gave off in the morning sun.

Kei frowned at the unappealing nickname but nodded anyway.

“Good. Go inside and ask the boy at the counter to show you the ropes. He’s been working here since the beginning of the summer and knows his way around the place.”

Kei nodded again and entered the store. He walked between aisles and aisles of richly colored products, mostly food, and his stomach took this chance to remind him he hadn’t eaten any breakfast.

He suddenly craved chocolate-filled croissants but before he could find them on the shelves, the empty feeling in his stomach dropped and twisted when he spotted the boy sitting behind a counter. His black hair stuck all over the place but it didn’t seem to bother him at all as he scanned the pages of a gravure magazine he was lazily holding up with his right hand, his left hand busy propping his head up on the counter. His focus then shifted to Kei and after a few bewildered blinks (as if he’s the one who is shocked to see Kei here!) he smirked.

That damn smirk will haunt Kei forever.

“What do we have _here_ …?” The black-haired boy put the magazine down and sauntered over to Kei with a feline graciousness. Even when he straightened his back in front of Kei, and with that impossible bed hair sticking up everywhere, he was still not tall enough to rival Kei’s uncontrolled growth spurt.  

Unfazed, he stuck his hand out and offered it in a faux polite manner. “Hello blonde newbie, my name is _Kuroo Tetsurou_. It’ll be a pleasure working with you,” he said slyly and eyed Kei as if he has all sorts of fun planned out now that he was here.

And _of course_ Kei knew who this bundle of teasing maneuvers was from the moment he had laid his eyes on him. He’s faced him plenty of times shoulder-to-shoulder or on the other side of the volleyball net; never for any other reason, and never in his _very_ private, _very_ carefully planned, _safe_ time away from the court.

Kei took Kuroo’s hand and smiled bitterly, finding comfort in the sole fact that his summer couldn’t _possibly_ get any worse.

 

* * *

 

Kuroo showed him the ropes around the place, but not without acting like a jerk about it. He made sure to point out Kei’s a newbie in every other sentence but other than putting up with that, Kei found this job to be to his liking. All he had to do was carry and arrange boxes in the storage, re-stock the sold items at the end of his 12-hour-long shift and if he was working the night shift, run a quick inventory check before he went home. When he isn’t doing any of those, he should avoid eye-contact with customers and sweep the floor.

Kei took his time ambling between the aisles to memorize the position of every product, and weave it into his memory so that he could pull the information out as quickly as possible so as not to piss off a customer and cause a scene. Being prepared is his forte, even if he planned on dodging the awkward situation in the first place.

Around eleven, his stomach reminded him that he still hasn’t eaten anything today so he strolled over to a shelf with croissants packed in thick aluminum wrapper. He took two and went over to Kuroo to pay up. Kei made sure to pull out only leftover peanuts from bigger purchases to make Kuroo’s counting job as hard as possible. He pushed the coin stack to Kuroo, expecting a display of disgruntled mire on Kuroo’s calm expression. But it didn’t happen.

Skillfully, with enviable ease, Kuroo picked up coin after coin and countedeach until he was satisfied with the amount Kei had to pay up. He returned a few remaining coins and said, affably: “Thank you for your purchase. Come back soon.”

Dissuaded from any further attempts to poke fun at Kuroo, Kei swiped what’s left of the floor he hadn’t before, and then sat on a chair close to the counter to have his lunch break. When he opened the croissant’s wrapper, the sound drew Kuroo’s attention to him, like a cat who heard its owner rustle through a plastic bag upon returning from shopping.

Kei paid no heed to Kuroo’s smirk and bit into the soft crust. Thick coat of chocolate came pouring out and Kei greedily lapped it with his tongue. Nothing tickles his appetite like chocolate, and he solemnly closed his eyes to give full attention to the sweetness caressing his taste buds.

“You’re making quite a show there.” Kuroo commented after he’d finished attending to grandma in a florid dress.

Kei wiped the corners of his mouth with his thumb, and then licked up any traces of chocolate. “You don’t have to watch.”

“ _As if_ I don’t have to. It’s free! _Never_ miss a free show.”

Kei rolled his eyes and dumped an empty wrapper into a trash can next to him before he proceeded to open the other one.

“What are you doing here _anyway_?” He asked after he took and swallowed the first bite. The first bite must always be savored; no other bite offers the fulfillment of the first one. 

Kuroo crossed his arms over his chest and turned toward Kei with his hip resting on the edge of the counter.

“I wanted to earn some pocket money.” He replied succinctly.

“And you came all the way up here for that?” Kei lifted a suspicious eyebrow.

Kuroo clicked his tongue, cross.  “My grandma got sick and needed someone to take care of her for a while. Figured I’d kill two birds with one stone if I found a job while I’m around here.”

Kei nodded curtly to acknowledge the statement but remained silent until he finished his meal, all the while maintaining eye contact with Kuroo. Tension crept into his shoulders when Kuroo didn’t smirk or show any sign of breaking the gaze until another customer has come and gone.

“Were you expecting some dramatic story?” Kuroo asked, this time fiddling with the buttons on the register.

“If you think your drama would entertain me in any way, then you aren’t as bright as I thought you were.”

“Oh ho ho,” Kuroo finally smirked, “so you _do_ hold me in high regard.”

At that, Kei got up and went to find some work, anything to keep his hands mind busy and at a safe distance from Kuroo.

Much to Kei’s chagrin, he ended up scurrying around where he could keep an eye on Kuroo. He stole a glance in Kuroo’s direction whenever he interacted with a customer in a familiar way and if Kei were to judge by the sincere smiles, friendly squeezes on the shoulder or ‘keep the change’ remarks by his customers, he’d say Kuroo was well respected, especially by the regulars. Kei was so caught up in not wanting to be seen by others in his ‘free’ time that he had forgotten this is also Kuroo’s outside-of-court persona.

When his shift was over late that afternoon, Kei’s feet felt pleasantly numb and his shoulder ached for a warm bath and a warmer dinner. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his shorts and plodded his way home.

“Tsukki, wait!” A guileful voice called from behind and Kei hesitated for a moment, silently contemplating to just pretend he didn’t hear it. _He didn’t want to get involved with Kuroo beyond casual glances and trite remarks_ , he mentally chanted that through the day. “Wanna come over for dinner?”

Kei crooked his neck just enough to look at Kuroo. “Depends. Will you be cooking?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll pass.”

As Kei continued on his merry way, Kuroo ran up to him and grabbed him by the wrist. His fingers were surprisingly cold in spite of afternoon sun still going strong.

“C’mon. Give me a chance. I’ll take responsibility for all or any surprise diarrhea you may experience.”

Kei formed a small pout with his lips, still not convinced, but somewhat caught up in the coolness spreading from Kuroo’s fingers onto his wrist. His stomach seemed happy to take the offer with the way it tossed and turned and rumbled at the mere mention of food.  

“This is moving a bit too fast. I’m not ready to meet your grandma yet,” Kei teased, hoping this would put Kuroo off but his smirk only widened.

“Don’t worry; I’m sure my grandma will approve of our relationship.”

Kuroo’s place was extra 15 minutes of walking that Kei didn’t want to commit to but when they arrived, he was surprised to find he lived in a small, shabby-looking apartment complex. It was hard to imagine Kuroo living in such a cramped place, especially if he had to share it with someone but he seemed to have his own room, however small it may be.

They greeted his grandmother first. She was a small, pale-looking woman who was lying on a futon but as soon as Kuroo introduced Kei, she started flailing her arms around and even tried to stand up. “Oh, if I had known, I would’ve made something for you guys. How rude of me!” She said through her crooked teeth.

Kuroo gently reassured her, while affectionately brushing the hair off her forehead, that he has it covered and that she should rest. She seemed to relax at that, and with a familiar pat on Kuroo’s hand, she lay back down.  

And that’s how Kei found himself sitting on a chair in a tiny kitchen of dull colors, following Kuroo’s movements as he was on a quest of collecting items he needed to prepare their meal.

“Is there something you don’t like to eat?” Kuroo asked with a glance over his shoulder as he put the groceries down on the countertop.

“No. I eat whatever.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Kuroo replied through a chuckle and went on to chop cabbage and sausage.

Kuroo wasn’t his usual chatterbox self, instead, he cooked only with a silent hum of a song Kei didn’t recognize. Kei could only see his back, especially how his shoulder blades flexed with every movement of his hands when he tossed the chopped bits onto the frying pan; Kei found this poised Kuroo intriguing, harder to approach and more attractive.

He slapped the intrusive thought away immediately.

“Do you need some help?” Kei broke the silence, for his own sake mostly. His stomach growled as if to show support.  Kuroo _was_ taking his sweet time after all so he might as well be of use.

“No thanks,” Kuroo answered and turned what Kei recognizes as okonomiyaki in the pan. “You seem like the type to accidentally chop his finger off when in kitchen.”

Kei scowled, not because he was offended at Kuroo’s little remark but because he was right. Kei made a few decent cooking attempts in kitchen (mostly to humor Yamaguchi) but they all ended with a first aid kit and bandages around his fingers.

“Patience. It’s almost done,” Kuroo added, the soothing tone of his voice putting Kei at ease and back to his designated seat. Fifteen minutes later and he had a plate with a steamy okonomiyaki and a cold glass of water put in front of him. He dug in as soon as Kuroo sat down and they said their thanks.

Kei didn’t spare a moment to doubt Kuroo’s cooking, he was far too hungry and convinced enough by Kuroo’s cooking prowess and how professional he looked in the kitchen, and took a big first bite. The taste of meat, vegetable and flour melted on his tongue and he couldn’t think of the last time he felt so full after a first bite.

When he was halfway through cleaning his plate, he noticed Kuroo was watching him intently and chewing slowly, with a smirk tugging on his lips when he swallowed. There was fervor in his dark eyes that had Kei feeling slightly abashed, his fingers dancing over the edge of his glass rather than busying themselves with putting food in his mouth.

“Something the matter?” Kei inquired when his patience ran dry.

Kuroo took a sip of his water before he replied: “It is weird having you my kitchen, eating the food I prepared, that’s all.”

“What’s weird about that?”

Kuroo shrugged but something about the nonchalant gesture didn’t t convince Kei. Kuroo didn’t give him an opportunity to question what exactly was off because Kuroo continued talking. “How’s the team holding up now that the trusty captain Daichi is gone?”

“It’s still a good team,” Kei replied, curtly, and took another big bite. His jaw felt stiffer after every word.  

Kuroo’s eyebrows shot up. “ _Oh ho_. How nice to hear you talk well of your team.”

“I’m not the kid I was a year before.”

“Nah, you’re still that kid. You just see different shades where it all used to be black and white.” The way Kuroo said this – knowingly, unceremoniously and openly – caught Kei off guard. His words were virulent, seeping into Kei’s ears and dripping on something that has been untouched and hidden deep inside him since day one. He’s always been reluctant to address it.

“Why do you take so much interest in me?” Kei asked, trying to sound as apathetic as possible. It only served to wrap a thick cloak of tension around them, which seemed to affect Kei and Kei alone.

“I don’t know,” Kuroo replied, mimicking Kei’s nonchalance as he sat back in his chair, “I guess I’ve been drawn to you from the very start.”

Kei remembered, with vague certainty, how Kuroo used to neglect his own practice matches to observe, and occasionally praise, Kei’s blocks and how safe and confident Kei felt standing on the same court as him. All advice, approvals and taunts still burn in the back of Kei’s mind, where they sizzle around and char every other thought whenever Kuroo’s around.

Not to say Kei would ever just let go of his pride and admit Kuroo both attracts him and makes him feel insecure with his meddling, straight-forward ways. No one’s broken the wall of Kei’s carefully built defenses so smoothly, so predatorily and Kei would hate to be the only one feeling this way in the rubble of his endearments.

 “I think I also have a thing for you,” Kuroo pondered out loud as he put his elbows on the table. He leaned closer, the look in his eye urging Kei to say something but he was beyond words. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice? I’m not a total jerk, contrary to popular belief, but I also wouldn’t offer my help to _just_ anyone. And us meeting here of all places?” He paused. It only served to tighten the noose around Kei’s thought process. “It must be fate giving me another chance. I’ll be stupid not to make the best of it.”

Kei harrumphed in attempt to find his voice. “I didn’t think you’re the type to believe in fate.”

Kuroo chortled, not a hint of astonishment over Kei’s response. “That’s _all_ you have to say to me after what I just told you?”

Kei held Kuroo’s gaze confidently but wiped his sweaty palms on the fabric of his shorts, glad that Kuroo couldn’t see the nervous movement. “Thanks for the meal.”

Kuroo waved his head but didn’t make any further comments, not even when Kei helped him wash the dishes, their shoulders bumping awkwardly over the small sink.

After saying goodbye to Kuroo’s grandma, he was walked out with a simple “See you at work”. 

Kei didn’t take any detours on the way home. The night was already thick but he didn’t want to stick around to appreciate it when his nails were painfully digging into his palm, reminding him of what he was trying to escape.

When he arrived home, he took a quick shower, soap slipping out of his hands a few times when he spaced out. It wasn’t even _that_ late, considering his usual bedtime, but he was already in his pajama, lying back-down on his bed, his headphones blaring punk tunes. He couldn’t focus on the lyrics because his mind was still replaying Kuroo’s words over and over like a broken record.

There was a gun in his hand; gun with a warning written in a language Kei couldn’t understand. _Kuroo’s language_.

This wasn’t like those other times when whatever Kuroo made him feel would be easily escapable by getting on a bus and going home with his team.

Tomorrow, he has to face Kuroo again.


	2. Chapter 2

After waking up with his leg dangling off the edge and his blanket tucked away under the bed, Kei spent the morning pondering, over a perfectly fine cup of vanilla cappuccino, why he’d dreamt of Kuroo’s mussed hair, gleaming eyes and the words he’d said yesterday. The extra five minutes he spent on touching his face in order to mold his expression from sleep-deprived grumpy back to just grumpy were the five minutes that he had to compensate by running to the store.

Kuroo didn’t say a word about his tousled hair, or about the sweat dripping from his face and neck into his navy blue shirt, and luckily the manager wasn’t around.

Kei thought the day would pass by fast and painless if he stayed low and did his job as quietly and efficiently as possible until a group of high school girls entered the store. They were chatting away and keeping close together, almost as if one of them would be spirited away if they moved an extra inch from each other. Kei ignored the din of their chattering, which occasionally turned into a whisper when Kei regarded them with a raised brow and a displeased shake of his head.

After all, _customer comes first_. Whoever said that must’ve had customers who actually bought something, Kei thought but kept it to himself as he walked past them to sweep next to the shelves with chips and other crunchy snacks. For some reason, there were always crumbs scattered over the floor there and he wondered if somebody was opening and eating the snacks while he wasn’t looking.

He held the broom tightly, bowed a little which was always uncomfortable for someone his height, and he made a few quick swipes into his plastic scoop. Then he was hit by another wave of muffled chuckles. 

 “Hey, you’re checking out the wrong goods!” Kuroo, whom Kei was sure has been reading a magazine until a moment ago, reprimanded the girls with sternness in his tone that sent hairs on the back of Kei’s neck bristling.

Kei watched as the girls scattered around the store like mice lost in a labyrinth before they dashed out in a storm of giggles. He set the broom against one of the shelves and crossed his arms over his chest just as Kuroo sauntered over to him.

“That can’t be good for business,” Kei said, a fine dose of derision injected into his words.  A simple ‘ _thank you’_ would’ve sufficed here but for some reason he couldn’t squeeze it out of his tongue.

“Couldn’t you see they were eyeing you, trying to get your attention?” Kuroo inquired and leaned on the shelf, his chest slightly pushed outwards. It compelled Kei to take a step back to protect his personal space.

“My attention is not for sale.”

A ghost of a smirk graces Kuroo’s lips before he brushes it off by running a hand through his hair. “There’s a song that I like, it’s called ’Bombshell blonde’. Ever heard of it?” Kei shook his head, but the gesture was so vague that it could’ve passed unnoticed if Kuroo wasn’t intent on staring a hole through him. “It goes something like this ‘ _She’s a bombshell blonde, wired up to detonate! I’m James Bond, live to die another day! She’s all I want so I, I’m on a mission tonight_!'“ Kuroo sang and even though his voice wasn't an MTV's top 10 chart material, Kei felt it wrap itself around him like a poisonous snake and he felt infinitemisal under Kuroo's piercing gaze.

“I’ll be sure to check it out,” Kei mused, faintly aware of what Kuroo was implying, and picked up his broom because if they spent one more minute dawdling about, it’d count as a break.

When he turned around, Kuroo seized his wrist and pulled him back. Kei wanted to retract his hand, protect his burning flesh, but Kuroo’s palm held him firmly in place, forcing him to look up.

Kei huffed, annoyed. “If you wanted to sing, there’s a whole lot of jobs you could’ve—“

“Listen,” Kuroo interrupted him and the faint glint in his murky eyes told Kei to shut up, “about yesterday… I just thought, no, actually… I’m sorry for blurting those things out of nowhere. It was out of place and I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. You can just forget about everything I said. I was joking. Wanted to see your reaction. ”

Kei stared right back at Kuroo’s eyes underneath his wrinkled brow and after a few moments of eavesdropping to the turmoil in his head, he nodded. The crease between Kuroo’s eyebrows loosened.

“So are we good?”

“As good as we were before.”

Kei began to walk away but then he stopped and turned sideways towards Kuroo. “Thanks,” he said, trying to keep his voice as firm as possible, “but next time don’t chase away potential customers.”

Kuroo smirked, the kind of smirk that could’ve been a sincere smile if it didn’t look so sly. “So long as they don’t bother the cute guy sweeping the floor.” 

Kei stared in awe at Kuroo’s retreating figure, without a single retort coming to mind.

 

* * *

 

Near the end of Kei’s shift, the manager appeared and told Kuroo and him to carry boxes from the delivery truck into the storage while he dealt with paperwork. The taupe boxes were heavier than Kei had anticipated and its contents clacked with each step he took. He adjusted his pace so as not to break something he couldn’t pay for.

“Can you carry it?” Kuroo asked when he caught up.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Kei may look like a lanky, feeble kid but his arms and legs have the strength and endurance of a volleyball player that can carry him through any task, provided he put the patience and assiduity into whatever he does. 

“Okay, don’t go breaking yourself,” Kuroo said and passed him, taking long but steady steps.  Kei wondered if Kuroo wanted to make this a competition and if he was a hot-headed guy like Kageyama or easily-excitable kid with interminable stamina like Hinata, he would’ve taken the challenge. But he saw no point in getting worked up over something as ordinary as hauling boxes, so he focused on not tripping and falling and breaking items he was holding.

It took them a good half an hour to carry all the boxes into the storage through the back doors, and Kei had the privilege of taking the last one to its designated place. Which was high up on the shelf. He furrowed his eyebrows and threw a displeased look in Kuroo’s direction. He told him that they should start arranging boxes from top shelf to the bottom but hell will freeze over before anyone starts listening to his voice of reason.

The box was heavy in his arms but he approached the shelf and put all his muscles to work, his heels rising above the ground carefully so he does not to slip.

That’s when his phone rang.

Kei groaned. “Would you grab it for me?” Kei requested, throwing a quick glance at Kuroo who was standing by the door, and thrust his butt upwards to allow better access to the buzzing device peeking out of his back pocket. A moment after a pair of heels stopped behind him, Kei whimpered as a pair of hands unexpectedly seized his butt and gave it a nice, hard squeeze instead.

Kei crooked his neck and met Kuroo’s playful smirk. “Grab my _phone_ not my _butt_ ,” he spat through his teeth, ire sizzling around every word.

“Well,” Kuroo released Kei’s butt, but not without stealing another soft pinch, and deftly pulled out the phone out of his pocket, “you didn’t specify _what_ exactly I should grab. So I grabbed what I liked better.”

With a click of his tongue, and a lingering sensation of hands on his butt cheeks, Kei hooked the box onto the top shelf and then pushed it farther in until it was safe from falling down. At that moment, Kuroo answered his phone. 

“Good day miss Tsukishima. No, no, Kei is fine, “Kei was about to steal the phone from Kuroo but his brain was too busy wrapping itself around the sound of Kuroo saying his name to worry about moving his limbs, “I am his coworker and he had his hands full a moment ago. But he is done now, yes, I’ll give the phone to him.”

Kei took the phone that Kuroo oh-so-kindly held out for him and answered. His phone rarely rang unless it was an emergency so he hoped the knot in his stomach was a result of unforeseen throes Kuroo and his hands gave him, and not a real tragedy.

It turned out his mother only wanted to tell him that she and his father would be out tonight and that he should buy himself some dinner at the store. He said his goodbye and ended the call when his eyes met Kuroo’s.

“Everything okay?” He asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Yeah,” Kei replied and shoved the phone down his back pocket, “my parents won’t be home tonight so I need to take care of my own dinner.”

“Oh,” a smile tugged on Kuroo’s lips, a sly one, “so you’re in trouble?”

“I can buy something.” Kei said, trying not to sound too eager.

“ _Or_ ,” Kuroo drawled in a suggestive tone, “you could come over for dinner.”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Kuroo’s jaw went slack and he uncrossed his arms. “Okay.”

They stayed out of each other’s way until the end of the shift and after saying goodbye to the manager, who was still buried in paperwork; they were on their way to Kuroo’s house.

The house was as still as ever, his grandma soundly asleep after having taken her medicine. Kuroo checked on her quickly, brought her a new glass of water and then beckoned Kei to follow him into the kitchen.

“Today I will ask for your help, _but_ you better not lose a finger on my watch.” He said, and reached for a couple of small plastic bowls in dull colors, putting them on the table. Then he went to the fridge to fetch groceries.

“What are we making?”

“Curry.”

Kuroo gave Kei a reassuring pat on the back before taking his palm in his own and putting a peeler in it. “You will peel and I will cut.” Kei was given two huge carrots, one of which was almost as long as half of his arm, two potatoes and two onions to peel. He grasped the concept quickly and peeled them all the while Kuroo stared at him with traces of mild amusement on his face.

Kuroo did his part of the job faster, cutting up the vegetables into medium-size squares and pouring them into one pot while in the other he prepared rice. The water and its contents, vegetables and meat, simmered and Kei was overwhelmed by the sudden desire to wrap his arms around Kuroo’s waist and rest his chin on his shoulder. It must be the impactful smell and warmth of the food that were messing with his head.

“Be useful and take these glasses of water to the table in the living room,” Kuroo ordered him when the meal was almost over so Kei took two of the tallest glasses from the dish drying rack, filled them with cold tap water and carried them to the living room.

The living room was small, consisting of a TV, one big, ancient couch in a warm brown color and a wooden table with lots of scratch marks.

“Anything else?” Kei called.

Kuroo walked over and pulled a DVD player, a USB and a set of high-tech speakers out of a drawer underneath the TV.

 “High-tech grandma,” Kei commented.

“Funny. I brought this baby with me. Figured I’d be alone all the time so I might as well watch movies,” he paused and glanced in Kei’s direction with a small, fond smile gracing his lips,  “But I guess luck was on my side.”

“Yet you ended up watching movies again.”

“Hey, at least I’m not alone,” he said and threw the remote control to Kei, “here, find a movie you like. Just not any in the first ten, I’ve already seen those.” Then he went back to kitchen.

Kei settled on the farthest right corner of the couch, feeling safer and less nervous if he could rest his elbow on the armrest, and browsed through the selection of movies. Which was huge. There were at least thirty movies whose titles Kei didn’t recognize and the more he scrolled down the options, the more did the fluttering feeling in his stomach intensify. Did he just stumble upon a facet of Kuroo’s interests that he wasn’t aware of before?

“Did you find something?” Kuroo’s voice broke his magical moment of epiphany and he hastily selected the movie he was on when Kuroo called him.

“Y-yeah.”

“Good,” Kuroo said and emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with two steaming bowls of rice and curry. Kei feasted his eyes on the rich brown and white contents on the bowl. He blew on them, wanting to dig in as soon as possible but his eyes followed Kuroo when he went back to the kitchen and came back with a small tube of a dark green, what looked like, spice.  

Even though couch was big enough to provide seat for one more person, Kuroo scooted over to Kei but not close enough for their knees to touch.

“What’s that?” Kei asked when Kuroo sprinkled a copious amount of the flavoring over his curry.

“Oh, this? A secret family spice. It’s pretty hardcore though, you wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Kei raised his eyebrow, baffled that Kuroo would raise such an accusation.

“Don’t look at me like that. Wanna give it a try, then?” Kuroo scooped a liberal amount of curry, thick with that supposedly _lethal_ seasoning, in his spoon and lifted it off his bowl. Kei leaned in, too compelled by Kuroo’s challenging smirk to back down now. “ _Open hangar_ ~”

With a displeased scoff, Kei opened his mouth and Kuroo landed the contents of the spoon on his tongue. The rich, burning sensation wrapped itself around Kei’s mouth and his face contorted into that of mild pain. It really _was_ as spicy as Kuroo had promised.

The moment Kei swallowed, the thick broth charring his throat, he became aware of what was happening. His hand was resting gently and high on Kuroo’s thigh, and Kuroo knew it was there if Kei were to judge by a few spontaneous glances in its direction.  Yet he did nothing to prove it was unwanted. This alone provided Kei with a few seconds of uncomfortable hesitation before he swiftly moved away and reached for his glass of water on the table. The cold liquid soothed his burning throat.

Kuroo started the movie.

It turned out that the movie Kei chose was a horror and he was glad he managed to wipe his bowl clean before the real action began. Namely, when the main character thought she bit into an apple but it was actually a light bulb and blood seeped out of her mouth. But then it turned out it was actually an apple after all. The girl still thought nothing weird was happening and the imposing annoyance at her actions had Kei frowning and clicking his tongue until the movie finished in an utterly disappointing fashion.

“I can’t get into it when characters are so dumb,” he said when the credits started rolling.

 Kuroo muted the sound.

“Oh~ is that why your life is such a pain as well?”

“Wouldn’t _you_ want to know?”

“That’s my Tsukki, always strikes below the belt.”

Kei swallowed hard as if that would prepare his throat from the words about to leave it. “You called me by my first name when you spoke to my mother.”

“Hm? I did, didn’t I? Well, it would be weird to call you ‘Glasses-kun’ or ‘Tsukki’. Wouldn’t it?”

“I guess…”

Kuroo shuffled in his seat, pulled his knees up and slightly turned his body towards Kei.

And then he spoke: “Okay, listen. I have to say something.” Kei felt the air around them go heavy, like it does when a serious but dreaded topic was about to be brought up. “I need to make a few things clear. Turns out I can have you just forgetting about everything like I told you this morning.”

“You know I like you,” Kuroo continued, “a romantic kind of like _but_ … I _need_ to know how you feel about that. “

Kei patiently waited for him to go on, not sure what he could say even if he was prompted to at this very moment.

“I mean, you let me in your personal space, you come over and eat my food like it’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten, you even go along with my flirtations sometimes and you didn’t wring me dry when I grabbed your butt. These things give me _hope_.

I’m not trying to tell you that you should go along with my feelings, especially if yours aren’t reciprocal. But I would really want a clear answer. Do I have a chance with you or am I just trying in vain? If I’m trying in vain, just tell me, and I will back off and we will go back to being whatever we were before all this. ”

Kuroo exhaled long after he finished his monologue as if he wanted to fish out any stale air left in his chest. His expression was unsmiling, stern and without a hint of smugness on his face; Kei felt, once again, like he was standing in front of a stranger.

Kei opened his mouth a few times but each time the words would run right down his throat, hiding.

“Kei, I _need_ you to say something,” The urgency in his voice alarmed Kei, and he felt like he was about to permanently hurt someone really important with his silence.

Kuroo was a match for his candle, a lid to his pot. He was someone who not only knew how to push all the right buttons, but did so in a way that helped Kei grow as a person. He decided not to run from volleyball anymore and put his heart on the line if it promised at least a spark of greatness, if it meant he could be the blocker he saw in Kuroo.

Kei could pretend that the drawer with Kuroo’s label on it is full of nothing but admiration and innocent taunts sent and returned, but at its very bottom there’s a small box in which he stored away every touch, every flirtatious word, every  piercing gaze and every smirk. Kei didn’t mix with people well, his personality was like sodium and most people were water, destined to explode.

But Kuroo… Kuroo was someone he could be himself with without fearing about his surroundings being receded to rubble. And that’s a starting line for a sprint into a territory he was unfamiliar with.

“I _do_ think you’re a special specimen of human being that I don’t necessarily want to tie to a cactus in the middle of a desert,” Kei spoke, fast, but stressing each word correctly. Kuroo stared at him, wide-eyed, his mouth slightly agape before he burst into a fit of laughter.

“Is that a confession or just a fact in general? Should I be flattered?”

“Geez, don’t choke on your laugh, mister bedhair.” Kei commented, amazed at how quickly Kuroo’s serious façade broke.

Kuroo wiped the corner of his eyes with his thumb and straightened himself, scooting over until their knees touched. Kei didn’t move away.

“I _so_ didn’t get what you meant at all,” he said, smirking.

Kei clicked his tongue, fighting the urge to flick Kuroo on the forehead. Some of the tension in his stomach dropped.  “I meant that I would like to give it a try. Maybe.”

Kuroo stopped laughing. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. But don’t expect anything; I’ve never been in such… predicament.”

“ _Predicament_?” Kuroo’s eyebrows perked up. “Boy, you’re sure calm for someone in _such predicament_.”There was a coat of mockery over his words but Kei couldn’t blame him; his wording may have been a bit dramatic.

In order to atone, he lifted his hands. Long, slender fingers were shaking as if they were on a death row.

“So much for calm,” Kei said, smirking.

Kuroo hugged Kei’s hands with his own, and before Kei could even think about pulling them back, he said: “Baby steps.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you for the nice comments! It's really encouraging to see all the feedback. That being said, hope you enjoy the KuroTsuki shenanigans in this chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

“Tsukki, are you okay?”

The pencil Kei was twirling between his fingers slid and fell on the table with a small thump.

“Mhm? Yeah, of course.”

Yamaguchi smiled as if he was apologizing for asking. “It’s just weird to see you spacing out, even if it’s for a moment.”

“What _I_ can see is that three fourths of my homework is done and yours isn’t even halfway finished.”

A tint of pink splashed across Yamaguchi’s cheeks and he lowered his head, focusing on the task underneath his pen. A pang of guilt struck Kei in the gut; Yamaguchi has been making progress this year, both academically and athletically, and he shouldn’t have spoken to him that way just because there was _something_ on his mind.

Last night Kuroo asked him for help with the dishes and then sent him home with but an affectionate ruffle of his hair and a content smile. Not long after he came back home, the manager called him to notify him of the shift switch due to some personal issues of one of the employers. Kei heard only the important bits of information and quickly fell into a dreamless sleep.

In the morning, Kei used most of his energy _not_ to daydream about Kuroo. He didn’t want to over think and start planning an escape route. He didn’t want to close his eyes and see Kuroo’s smug face plastered on his eyelids. He didn’t want to think about all the possibilities that lay bare in front of him, whispering all the nice things he never wanted to do with anyone but wants to do all with Kuroo.

Kei’s mind had all kinds of plans, and that’s why Yamaguchi was here with him, doing their summer homework together. He called Yamaguchi early, around seven thirty, and he came almost running, his eyes red, with prominent bags under them. But he smiled, like being called out to do homework at the crack of dawn was the best thing that could’ve happened to him.

Chatting and scribbling sound of two pens kept Kei’s mind busy for a while, but the moment he rolled his eyes at the ridiculous pattern which most of the tasks fell into, his attention wandered elsewhere, and definitely _not_ to how soft Kuroo’s hair looked, like a freshly made nest mother made for her chicks; or how his lips stretched into a smile when he walked out a satisfied customer; or how much effort and devotion his long, slender fingers put into everything they did. If Kei thought of _any_ of that, he wouldn’t be Kei anymore. He’d be just a love struck fool he used to snicker at when they walked past him, giggling, openly comfortable with each other.

However, the feeling of growing curiosity and yearning to leave his mark somewhere – _anywhere_ – on or _in_ Kuroo was slowly overcoming even the strongest of restraints.  It was like he was staring at a field of fresh-fallen snow for days before finally getting the permission to run through it freely.

“Shit,” he muttered and pressed his fingertips to his closed eyelids, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Yamaguchi lifted his head, forehead wrinkled in worry. “Tsukki?”

“It’s nothing.”

* * *

 

“What are we supposed to do with it?”

“That’s not ‘ _it_ ’, that’s a child.”

A little girl, clad in a frilly green dress, was swinging her legs on a chair behind the counter and looking up to a distressed Kei and a mildly amused Kuroo.

Kei was writing down the list of items, which were having a discount this week only, on the board hanged outside of the store when the hem of his shorts was pulled and a large pair of watery, hazel eyes looked up at him, tears rolling down rosy, puffed cheeks. The girl said she was lost so Kei brought her in, unsure of what to say.

Much to his surprise, Kuroo seemed to have a calming effect on the kid; he stroked her hair, much like a father would do for his only daughter when she’s had a nightmare, and kept reassuring her that her mother will come running through the door any moment, looking for her. She calmed down eventually, her cries reduced to sniffles. But the way she looked at them, as if solutions to all her problems were written on their faces with fluorescent markers, made Kei uneasy.

Kuroo grabbed a pack of tissues off the counter and crouched in front of her to wipe her nose.

“That’s a good girl,” he said, voice kind and pliant, when she blew her nose as hard as she could. Kei’s lip curved into a small smile, not his usual snicker, but a genuine smile at the scene unraveling before him. He didn’t manage to assume his dead-pan expression before Kuroo noticed. “What are you smiling at~?”

Kei harrumphed. “Nothing. You’re good at this.”

“I’m not that good. You’re just really bad.” Kuroo teased, getting up from what must’ve been an uncomfortable crouching position. “But I’ve always had Kenma to look after. Taking care of someone smaller is kind of an instinct by now.”

Kei wasn’t jealous of Nekoma’s setter for having the privilege of knowing Kuroo for years before Kuroo even knew Kei existed. He was aware there were parts of Kuroo’s life he’d never fit into, and the same went for himself. He realized it must be how it goes: you should only make as much room for a new person as the new person is willing to take up. All things in moderation.

A set of cold fingers touched the back of his neck and tilted his head slightly, and then a chaste, silky kiss was pressed into his temple. Kei’s eyes went wide as saucers.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry… You just had that face…”Kuroo apologized, letting go of Kei’s neck.

“What face?” Kei mustered, keeping his cool.

“The kind I wanted to kiss,” Kuroo replied, simply. “That aside, I suggest you go outside and write on the board that we found the kid. In case her mother passes by.”

Kei did just that. He wiped what he wrote before and put the notification about the girl on top. He wrote over it a few times to bold the important bits written in chalk and make it stick out. Then he wrote the list of groceries on sale again.

By the time he came back inside, Kuroo was lazily leaning on the counter, the girl shuffling around his feet, apparently at peace with the predicament she was in.

All that was left was to wait.

“There isn’t much traffic”, Kuroo sighed, as if he missed the grannies who came every morning and told him how handsome he was and that their daughters were single.

“Nobody in their right mind would go out in this heat.”

 

It was late in the afternoon and nobody came for the girl. Kei was arranging boxes of cereal on the shelves when she poked him in the calf, making him wince in surprise. He looked down at her, rusty golden eyes meeting shiny, round ones, and she smiled.

“Let’s play,” she said.

Kei frowned. “I’m working,” he replied, tersely. Then he heard a sound of muffled laughter from the counter. Kuroo was holding his hand over his mouth.

“Just play with her a little. She seems bored of me already,” Kuroo said and winked.

Kei brushed the bangs sticking to his forehead and raised an eyebrow at the girl; indulging her whims wasn’t likely to harbor auspicious results but Kei figured he could at least pretend to play along.

“What do you want to play?” He asked, lacking interest.

Her face brightened, round eyes goggling. “Hide and seek!!”

Luck seemed to be on his side as that was the easiest game to wiggle out of. He offered to be “it” first and pretended to count to fifty while he was putting the last of the cereal boxes onto the shelves.

“Ready or not, here I come.”

The sound of small steps scattering around waned, and Kei began ambling around the store – not in the search for the girl but to see what else needed to be restocked.

A good half an hour passed when the front door rang and a woman in scruffy shoes and a floral dress entered, a look of distress gracing her pretty, young face.

“Is my daughter here?” She begged, a little out of breath. Sweat trickled down the sides of her face and her long, thin neck. She saw Kei, who was working around dairy products in the corner, approached him and grabbed him by the elbow. “I saw the sign.”

“Yes, your daughter is here. Somewhere.”

“ _Somewhere_?” The woman hissed, not relieved in the slightest.

“We were playing hide and seek. Call her name and she’ll come out.” Kei stated, wrestling to set his arm free. The woman was standing too close, causing exactly the kind of commotion he was trying to avoid since day one.

The woman let go of him and called, “Sena, come out. Mommy is here.”

If this were a stage play, she’d be greeted by the sound of crickets.

“Sena!” She tried again.

No response.

The woman turned to Kei, furious and ready to shoot a whole arsenal of reprimands at him, when Kuroo emerged from behind one of the shelves.

“She is probably still hiding, let’s search for her,” he said, soothingly so as not to upset the woman who had lost her daughter and now has the audacity to glare at them for doing the same.

The three of them walked around the store, calling Sena’s name. There weren’t many places she where could hide and if Kuroo didn’t see her walk by him, she wasn’t back in the storage. So she must’ve been crouching between the shelves or squatting behind boxes.

Kei had a nagging feeling of nausea cloud over his better judgment; he had actually begun wondering if the girl had found a portal to another world behind a stack of tomato cans.

That’s when it hit him. Some of the shelves, namely the ones containing snacks, had some space between the floor and the last shelf; it’s a small gap that a tall adult wouldn’t notice if he’s standing upright. But a kid would.

He got down on his knees and laid his head down close to the floor, scanning underneath the shelves. Then he spotted a small shadow lying down in the back row.  

“Found you,” he said, after he sneaked close enough and rested his head on the floor, partially relieved, partially annoyed.

The girl grinned, all teeth and eyes. “You’re so slow, mister.”

“You’re just very good at hiding,” he lied. “Come on; your mother has come for you.”

When she saw Sena, alive and well, her mother picked her up and hugged her tightly, an avalanche of apologies and ‘oh baby I looked away once and you were gone’ and ‘I was so worried’ leaving her mouth. She mumbled a brief ‘thank you’ to Kuroo and Kei and went for the exit as if staying in the store for a while longer would’ve cost her life.

“If I ever have to do an afternoon shift, I’m calling in sick.” Kei mused, watching their tiny figures disappear in the distance.

“You said it.”

* * *

Kei was outside the store, waiting for Kuroo and nervously shifting his weight from one leg to another with his hands resting in the pockets of his pants. It was a few minutes past 11pm and the streets were engulfed in thick darkness save for the few patches of light provided by the street lamps. The sun has shied away into its chambers hours ago but the lingering warmth and dry wind kept the temperature just right for a night walk.

A few minutes later, Kuroo emerged from the store and, having turned off all the lights, locked the doors. Underneath his armpits were 2 cans of what seemed to be soy beer. The keys jingled when Kuroo had put them in his pocket before he turned to face Kei.

“Here,” he offered one of the cans with a small smile; on the label it indeed said ‘soy beer’.

“Offering alcohol to a minor?” Kei inquired with a scoff, taking the cold container.

“You’re under an adult’s supervision. One won’t kill you.” He replied, and popped the can open. “Anywhere you wanna go?”

“Park, right around the corner.”

Kuroo nodded and followed after Kei. The park he was leading them to was the park where he first met Yamaguchi. The park was lined with a dozen of surprisingly neat flowerbeds, sandboxes, swings, teeters, monkey bars and a few benches. Yamaguchi used to avoid the park at first but when he became friends with Kei, they went there sometimes to play on teeters. Then Kei’s legs became so long that teeters could no longer provide him with the entertainment he needed and he stopped going to the park altogether.

They sat on the bench at the far end of the park, the one next to a tree so the light from the street lamps didn’t reach it well. Kuroo scooted closer and waited for Kei to pop his can open. He managed to do so without spilling its contents.

The silence between them stretched, save for the rich gulps of their beer, until Kuroo turned his torso in Kei’s direction.

“Okay, instead of awkward silence, let’s play a game.”

Kei frowned. “The last time I was told that, it didn’t end well.” Flashbacks from that afternoon forced their way into Kei’s mind.

“True, but I’m not a kid who takes hide and seek seriously.”

Kei couldn’t argue with that so he took another sip of his beer, still unsure of how he felt about the crisp liquid trickling down his throat, and waited for Kuroo’s suggestion.

“Truth or dare! But I will be the only one asking. ” Kuroo exclaimed, bouncing a bit in his seat.

Kei groaned, not having a slightest intention of letting his disgruntlement go silent. He glanced at Kuroo who practically beamed and couldn’t find it in him to refuse.

“Truth.” Kei took the easy way out.

Kuroo’s eyebrows knitted in a ‘V’, and he said: “What is your favorite color?”

Kei answered and so it went on; Kuroo asked him ‘truth or dare’ dozens of times and Kei told him the truth every time. None of the questions Kuroo had asked him were the questions Kei would have a problem answering with the truth, and the whole ordeal seemed to be set up. Every time Kuroo inquired him ‘truth or dare’, a glint of challenge sparkled in the pale light of his eyes and it took Kei some time to take the hint.

“You won’t let the game end until I say dare.” Kei concluded, his beer can long forgotten and sitting next to his feet.

“Correct.”

“You’ll just dare me to kiss you.”

Kuroo feigned innocence by nonchalantly shrugging his shoulder. The grin on his face did nothing to hide his true intentions.

“ _Dare_ ,” Kei resigned with a sigh, wishing for all this to be over, maybe wishing to smooch Kuroo a little. The amount of alcohol in his blood wasn’t nearly enough to get him drunk but it was enough to blame it for his offbeat behavior.

“I dare you to kiss me.”  

Kei rolled his eyes, a part of his performance. Is he willingly going to walk into a maze of Kuroo’s cobwebs?

With a dramatic sigh, he shifted his weight to his right arm and leaned towards Kuroo’s face, tilting his head ever-so-slightly.

“And now,” Kuroo announced, imitating a voice of an underpaid reality show narrator, “our protagonist is faced with a decision of his life. Will he be a man and kiss this gorgeous stud on the lips or will he chicken out and give him a vanilla baby weak-ass kiss on the cheek?” Kei was inches from Kuroo’s lips and when the last of his words exited his mouth, a dry smell of alcohol suffused Kei’s nostrils.

Kei licked his lips, nervously, remembering all the scenes in romantic movies he’d seen, and pressed his lips to Kuroo’s. His hand immediately sought to grasp the side of Kuroo’s face, his fingers brushing at the hair behind Kuroo’s ear as Kuroo’s body lifted off the bench and pressed itself closer to Kei’s. Kuroo’s lips were surprisingly soft and eager and they took control of the kiss with an ease of an expert.

Kei started struggling for breath but he couldn’t bring himself to separate from Kuroo whose mouth devoured, ravished and nibbled at Kei's bottom lip, teeth clashing awkwardly at times, in what seemed to be an attempt to quench a decade-old hunger.

When Kei broke the kiss, he tried to muster up words but all his attempts were in vain when he realized all he wanted was to be closer to Kuroo. Much, much _closer_.

He pushed Kuroo into his seat, his back to the wooden rest of the bench and nestled his legs on either side of Kuroo’s before finally settling in Kuroo’s lap. Kuroo seemed to like the idea as he slid his hands up and down Kei’s thighs causing the muscles there to clench, electrified.

“Let me show you something better,” Kuroo said, still greedily trying to stock up breath but grinning nonetheless. Kuroo held Kei’s face, firmly, and brought it closer, his lips parted and lingered over Kei’s. When Kei’s tongue brushed across his own lip, Kuroo caught it between his lips and slipped his tongue into Kei’s mouth.

A single moan got stuck at the back of Kei’s throat when Kuroo sucked on his lips, his tongue defiling the inside of Kei’s mouth. Unsure what to do, Kei wrapped his arms around Kuroo’s neck and deepened the kiss. Kuroo’s hands massaged Kei’s thighs, each squeeze growing harder and needier, until Kei’s hips could no longer take the stimulation and he grinded down.

Kuroo groaned, and Kei pulled away, his lips bruised, and wet and yearning for more.  But they were in public and it was way past his curfew and this wasn’t a place he wanted to get so heated up he could no longer contain himself.

His head was spinning as he realized that what he was feeling was stronger then he had anticipated and he felt relieved upon noticing that Kuroo was the same. He kept his arms around Kuroo’s neck and rested his head in the crook of Kuroo’s neck, where the scent of leftover cologne and Kuroo’s musk mingled; it was a scent Kei could get used to, and he inhaled ravenously.  

“I like it,” Kei murmured, still a little breathless. 

“Hm?” The reply vibrated in Kuroo’s throat, so close to Kei’s lips that he was tempted to plant a kiss on the vein on the side of his neck.

“ _Kissing_. I like it because you’re quiet for an extended period of time.”

Kuroo tried to stifle a laugh that was clearly threatening to burst his chest open. “You should kiss me more often then,” he concluded.

“Maybe I will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I would like to thank you for all the nice comments and kudos! Your kind words, and knowing that you enjoyed reading, mean a lot.  
> Second, my semester started so I will be a lot busier than before but I will nonetheless write at least a chapter per week. Thank you so much for your support and patience.  
> Next chapter has a few nice things in store for you /winks inconspicuously/


	4. Chapter 4

Tetsurou twirled the phone cord around his fingers, his eyes focused on a dark brown splotch of coffee on the wall in the hallway.

“So after we pick up your grandma tomorrow, you will be alone for a week. Could you clean up the house?”

“Sure, mom. Anything else?”

“That would be all, Tetsu. You know we’re very grateful for what you’ve done. You could’ve spent the summer with your new university friends...”

“I told you that it’s okay.”

“Thank you. See you tomorrow.”

“Love you, mom.”

“Love you, dear.”

Tetsurou hung up first and, before a sigh could escape his lips, in his peripheral vision he saw a head peeking behind the wall.

“Grans, are you out of the bed again?”

“No,” she drawled.

Tetsurou dramatically clumped to her and gently pulled her back into her room. She gave him a hard time when she tried to maneuver her elbow out of Tetsurou’s hold but she’s attempted this same trick multiple times which rendered it useless this time around. He opened her bed covers and helped her lie down.

The past three days she’s been feeling well enough to start carelessly moving around, but that didn’t mean she stopped losing balance and stumbling at random. Tetsurou didn’t want her to hurt herself and ordered her to stay put. She had trouble complying. 

“I don’t want to go to Tokyo,” she murmured when Tetsurou pulled the covers to her chest. Despite the summer heat, she was very cold and during the night she had to use two covers. Tetsurou came to check on her once or twice and found her shivering.

“You must. It’s for the best,” he said, soothingly rubbing her temples. He’s learned the basics of head massage recently and found it is quite useful when it came to calming her down; it made her sleepy fast.

“But who will clean the house?”

“Worry less about the house and more about your health. “

She rolled her eyes like a petulant child. “Ugh my _health_ …I’ve practically expired already.”

Tetsurou gave her a thin smile and then kissed her forehead lightly. “Don’t speak like that about my grandma.”

She might’ve blushed at that but Tetsurou couldn’t tell in the dim light of her room. He stayed with her until she dozed off before quietly leaving the room.

Paperwork for her transfer to a hospital in Tokyo has finally been completed and Tetsurou’s parents are coming to pick her up tomorrow. They’ve discussed it among themselves and decided it’s the best course of action; grandma was here alone and in Tokyo she had her daughter and her husband to take care of her.  There was no telling when her condition could worsen and nobody wanted to take that chance.

Tetsurou glanced at the calendar on the fridge while he was pouring water into a coffee mug. A whole week before he has to go back, huh? He was always faintly aware of how short summer break was but it never occurred to him how much shorter it actually felt when he has to leave something behind. Or _someone_.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked for new messages only to find there were none. He put the mug in the microwave and while he waited, he typed his first message.

**Today, 1:29 pm, Me:**

_Did you do your homework?_

A few moments later, the ping of the microwave timer and his phone ringtone eerily went off at the same time.

**Today, 1:30 pm, Kenma:**

ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

**Today, 1:32 pm, Me:**

_At least you’re trying. I will come by before my classes start, in about 11 days_

**Today, 1:33 pm, Kenma:**

(=^･ω･^)y＝

**Today, 1:34 pm, Me:**

_Hm, maybe… I might bring you something yummy_

**Today, 1:35 pm, Kenma:**

(●ↀωↀ●)✧

**Today, 1:35 pm, Me:**

_But only if you’re a good boy until then. TTYL_

**Today, 1:35 pm, Kenma:**

(=^-ω-^=)

Tetsurou grinned at the cute emoticon and finished preparing his coffee with that smile still lingering on his lips. When Kenma texts him, he only uses emoticons. Most people cannot distinguish their denotation with what Kenma is actually trying to convey, but Tetsurou reads sentences, moods and meanings behind each emoticon with expertise.

He sat at the table and took a few perfunctory sips of his coffee. It was too sugary but there was nothing he could do about it now.

When he was met with stretched silence and the regular ticking of a wall clock, his thoughts wandered elsewhere as he flipped through his contacts. His finger stopped at ‘Kei’.

They haven’t seen each other for a few days, right after that night in the park which turned the tables on his one-sided crush. Tetsurou has been working the morning shift and Kei has been working the afternoon shift because one of the employees suddenly quit and somebody had to fill the hole. Needless to say Kei wasn’t too happy about the afternoon shift and he was in a constant state of vexation, making it impossible for Tetsurou to step in and make any advancements.

But those were just minor setbacks he wouldn’t allow make him impatient. He never expected to be in a position to text Kei in the first place, let alone do anything else that crossed the line between friends and lovers. Tetsurou will admit that he had his eyes on Kei since the moment they crossed paths on the court. He was all about attraction, electrical current between two people during a conversation or a game, and Kei pulled him in immediately.

The image of their last game, and Kei’s eyes burning with a newfound passion for the game still had him by the throat with excitement. When Tetsurou graduated, he thought he’d forget about Kei eventually, much like he did with anyone else he felt a strong, lingering attraction to, and with time the thought of Kei _did_ start to fade.

But just as it had dissipated, so it had returned. Twice as strong. And this time he might not want to let go without a fight.

So far, it paid off.

His cup was half empty when he decided to text Kei.

**Today, 1:45 pm, Me:**

_Wanna meet today?_

When he didn't get the reply immediately, he hastily gulped down what's left of his coffee and tapped his phone screen.

**Today, 1:49 pm, Kei:**

_Can't. I'm helping doofooses with their homework._

**Today, 1:50 pm, Me:**

_Didn't you say you'd take a day off today?_

**Today, 1:52 pm, Kei:**

_From work. Can't take a day off from being a high school student_

Tetsurou clicked his tongue. It's not like him to get annoyed but with an invisible hourglass over their heads, anyone would get a bit featherbrained.

**Today, 1:53 pm, Me:**

_I want to see you._

Tetsurou had no way of knowing what Kei would reply. That was the fun part about him. Usually, people wore red buttons on their sleeves which you should never press or else the explosion might occur, but Kei’s were so safely tucked away that Tetsurou never really knew whether he had stopped on a landmine with him. Back in high school, it was the first thing he had to apologize for – getting Kei angry when he had only wanted to tease him a little.

The reply was taking more minutes than Tetsurou had the patience for. He glanced at the clock, then at the calendar, then at his empty cup.  

**Today, 2:08 pm, Kei:**

You can come by if you want... and if you don't mind hearing about algebra

**Today, 2:09 pm, Me:**

I don't mind at all

* * *

 

It took Tetsurou about fifteen minutes to find Kei’s house which was just what he had expected – minimalistic-looking with broad windows and neat flowerbeds lined around it, their colours red and blue to liven the beige colour of the walls. He rang the doorbell and a few moments later, Kei opened the doors. Tetsurou had planned a casual, cool greeting but as soon as he saw Kei’s pretty little lips drawn in a smirk, he lunged in for a brief kiss.

“Shit, wait until I close the doors at least,” Kei complained when Tetsurou pulled away.

“Sorry.”

He wasn’t sorry at all.

“Do your buddies know I’m coming?”

 “No. I wanted to see their faces when you walk into the room.” Kei’s lips quivered, as if he was trying to hold back a grin.

“Well aren’t you a sly little one.”

“Birds of a feather flock together.”

Tetsurou cleared his throat. “So are you going to tell them about... us?”

Kei frowned. “No. I mean, I don’t think it’s their business who I date. Right?”

“Yeah. I agree. Probably.”

Kei took a step towards him, his face stern. “Does that bother you?”

Tetsurou took this opportunity to pinch his nose. “Of course not. No need to be so serious, I get it. We haven’t been together that long, those guys don’t even know me well, I’ll be leaving in a week and we’re both guys. “

“This has nothing with you being a guy. It has to do with my– _our_ privacy.”

Kei’s eyebrows knitted together so tightly, Tetsurou started worrying they’d stay that way, so he softly placed his palms on either side of Kei’s face. “I understand. There’s a time and place for this, and this isn’t one of them.”

“Yeah...” Kei said, low in his throat, before he allowed his eyes to meet Tetsurou’s. “Now kiss me fast before they start suspecting that this is taking too long.”

Tetsurou chuckled and pecked Kei’s lips, once, twice, and pulled away before he tried to turn Kei’s innocent intentions into a make-out session.

He didn’t get to see much of the house because Kei was adamant on dragging him to his room as fast as possible; from what he had seen, he concluded that Tsukishima’s liked their place clean, orderly and in as much beige as possible.

 Kei’s room was done in the same fashion: bright colours, not a speck of dust on any of the many full bookshelves, and just enough space between the bed and a small TV set for a mini table at which 3 boys, Tetsurou knew from his volleyball-playing days, sat.

They lifted their busy heads to look at who the newcomer was. 

 “N-N-N-Nekoma’s captain!” Hinata Shouyou’s eyes went wide as he jumped up from his seat and pointed a rude finger at him.

“ _Ex-_ captain,” Tetsurou corrected, unfazed, trying not to smile at the reaction he could elicit from the younger boy even after all this time.

Tetsurou noticed Hinata had grown some, but his height still paled in comparison next to prodigal setter Kageyama and Kei’s freckled friend. Kageyama only nodded lightly, to acknowledge Tetsurou’s presence, and Kei’s friend looked from him to Kei then back to Kei at a startling speed as if that would give him an answer to a question he didn’t even ask.

“W-w-w-what is _he_ doing here!” Hinata exclaimed, his befuddlement making him unable to ask questions properly.

“Spending the summer at the countryside,” Tetsurou said before Kei could.

Kei heaved a dramatic sigh and pushed Tetsurou towards his bed. “Go back to work Hinata. As for you,” the back of Tetsurou’s knees hit bed and he tumbled down, “you can play games if you’d like.”

“Nah, that would just disturb you hardworking high-school students,” he said and grinned, “instead, give me the nerdiest book you have.”

Kei raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have any nerdy books.” The stubborn pout on his lips defended bookshelves full of dinosaur encyclopaedia, figurines, and SF books, and Tetsurou was roused with the idea of kissing them tenderly to assure Kei he liked him just the way he was, his hobbies and all.

But they weren’t alone so he wiped his clammy palms on his pants.

“Your favourite book then?”

Kei went to the bookshelf and came back within a moment carrying a paperback version of Jurassic Park whose pages were in a bad condition, obviously from being read often. He smiled to himself, thinking how lucky that book was to have been loved so profusely. When he took the book, he made sure to lightly brush his fingers over Kei’s own.

And the rest was silence, save for the tireless sound of pens gliding over paper and an occasional cough when one of the guys didn’t understand something and wanted Kei to explain it for them.

Tetsurou had no qualms about being sprawled on Kei’s bed, what with his bed sheets smelling like Kei’s hair or that little dent in the mattress where Kei lay, but he felt boredom seeping sooner than he had expected. He flipped over to lie on his hip which gave him a first-row view at the back of Kei’s head and neck. A few wisps of his curly, blonde hair rested there, soft and teasing, and Tetsurou entertained himself with the idea of tangling his fingers in them and pulling hard enough to leave Kei’s thin, pale neck at the mercy of his kisses.

Before he could stop himself, Tetsurou blew at Kei’s neck, sneakily, slowly, so as not to raise suspicion. Kei merely scratched his neck with his free hand and returned to work.

Then Tetsurou did it again.

Kei’s freckled friend noticed him, raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything in the end. It didn’t take long for Kei to slam his fist on the table and startle everyone in the room.

“Do you,” he hissed, “want some water??” The question was directed to the boys at the table who, the faster the better, nodded their heads in confusion. Kei raised himself from the sitting position and turned to Tetsurou, his stare boring a hole through his head. “Kuroo, won’t you help me bring glasses for everyone?”

Tetsurou gulped. “Of course.”

He stood up and followed after Kei who opened the door for him and slammed it hard when Tetsurou exited. Kei gave him the silent treatment until they reached the kitchen where Tetsurou instantly spotted glasses and cups tucked away in a glass cupboard, and went for them.

“Let me get—“

“What do you _think_ you’re doing?” Kei interrupted, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned on the counter.

Tetsurou stopped dead in his tracks. “Taking the glasses out...?” He feigned innocence with a grin. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn’t.

“You know what I meant.”

Tetsurou sighed and turned towards Kei, taking a few steps in his direction as well. He didn’t like getting him so worked up over what he considered light teasing. _Again_.

“I’m sorry. I was bored. And joking.”

Kei rolled his eyes and tightened his crossed arms as if to protect himself, a movement that didn’t pass by unnoticed. “I told you that you’d be bored.”

Tetsurou took another bold step towards Kei, and assessed the frown on his face. Then he took one more step, until he was right in front of him, under his scrutinizing gaze.

“I’m sorry for distracting you. I’m impatient and impulsive. More so when it comes to you.”

Kei slow-blinked at him and untangled his arms. “Well, you’re not the only one,” Kei’s eyes desperately searched for a reaction on Tetsurou’s face, “Tell me more.”

Tetsurou took a deep breath, allowed it to envelop his lungs, and then he said: “I am anxious. I’ve already lost a week with you and there’s only one week left. I want to be with you more, see you more. Even when you’re in a cheeky-brat-doing-algebra mode.”

Kei covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hold back a chortle. “Pfft, so cheesy...”

Tetsurou flicked his forehead playfully. “Hey, I was being serious here.”

Kei straightened again and, albeit reluctantly and unsure, placed his hands on Tetsurou’s hips and pulled him in. “I feel the same.” He leaned in first and caught Tetsurou in a searing kiss, his lips moving with the intention to dominate. It was completely different from their first kiss which was sloppy and inexperienced, even though Tetsurou found it both cute and endearing.

But _this_... He could get used to being kissed like this.

Before he could start questioning how Kei’s kissing skill leveled up in few days they were apart, the sound of footsteps coming from the stairs made Kei pull away.

“Tsukki, is everything alright?”

Kei cleared his throat and lightly pushed Tetsurou away. “Yes. We’ll be up in a minute.” He was a little out of breath but Tetsurou doubted it was as noticeable as his rosy cheeks and wet lips. They waited until the footsteps retracted to put their hands on each other again.

“Did I ever tell you that I freaking love it when you’re assertive?” Tetsurou asked and put his palms on either side of Kei’s face, feeling the warmth of his skin under his fingertips.

“Are you trying to say you are okay with me taking what I want?” Kei cocked an eyebrow, a little smirk already splaying itself over his lips.

“From me? You can take anything you want, anytime.”

Tetsurou must’ve sounded possessive and completely blinded by the fluttery feeling in his gut, but what he had with Kei in this very moment was so unlike anything he’d ever felt before that he had no qualms over completely giving in to it.

 They gazed into each other’s eyes for a while until Kei bit his lip, something Tetsurou doesn’t see the blonde boy do often, drawing his attention to it.

 “My parents will be back late tonight,” Kei said so fast that Tetsurou almost missed what he was trying to say.

He stroked Kei’s cheek with his thumb. “Yeah? Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” he replied.  “Would you like to stick around once everyone is gone?”

“I would love to.”  

With a quick peck on Tetsurou’s lips, Kei tore himself away and went for the cupboard with glasses. “We have water to bring to thirsty people”, he announced and whilst Tetsurou had at least three comebacks to that remark, he shut his mouth and appreciated the sight of Kei’s flushed cheeks growing paler and paler with each passing moment.

They’ve seen nothing yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am alive and so is this fic. Thank you for your patience, kudos and comments. I appreciate them a lot!


	5. Chapter 5

Kei tapped his pencil on his notebook – the only physical evidence of his growing impatience. Hinata was in the middle of correcting the same task for the fifth time but Kei wasn’t about to rush him with nothing more but his frown. Even Kageyama, who had finished his homework about 10 minutes ago, started fidgeting as he carefully watched every movement of Hinata’s small, hard-working hand.

Kei tried to pay no mind to Kuroo who was sprawled on his bed, limbs long and heavy on his mattress which creaked whenever he shuffled. That and the sound of magazine pages being flipped was the only proof he was in the room but to Kei it felt like fire alarms were going off all around him and each passing minute made him go from reassuring confidence to stuttering excuses to run away.

But he held his ground and waited. Focused and waited.

It was deep into the afternoon when Hinata exhaled an exhausted “ _I get it now_ ”. Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and began clearing their stuff from the table.

When he put his notebooks in the bag, Kageyama got up and bowed to Kei. “Thank you for your help.”

“You know where to find me if you ever need it again,” Kei meant every word he said. Then he smirked and added: “Well, _when_ you need it again.” Kageyama didn’t get angry anymore.

“Next time, let’s _not_ do it at the eleventh hour,” Yamaguchi added sheepishly. Kei heaved a small _hmpf_. If there was one thing he knew about students, it’s that they never change their rotten habits of doing their homework when it was too late to do it properly. But nevertheless, it was the thought that counted.

Kei walked them out of his house, taking notice of Yamaguchi when he stole a doubtful glance towards Kuroo.

Once he waved at them and locked the doors to his house, Kei all but ran up the stairs back to his room where Kuroo still laid on his back, magazine now sprawled on his chest. In the spur of the moment, Kei rested his knee on the bed and leaned in to give Kuroo a kiss. Kuroo planted both of his hands on Kei’s cheeks, fingertips lightly brushing blonde, curly locks around Kei’s ears, and pulled him taut against himself.

Kei didn’t know where to put his hands so he slid them down Kuroo’s chest, over Kuroo’s hips and finally rested them on the ridge of his pants, taking delight in how Kuroo’s breath hitched and his lips faltered in movement. Buoyed by this, Kei’s fingers crawled to the hem of Kuroo’s pants and were about to dig in when Kuroo grabbed his wrists.

“Whoa, hold it.”

Kei frowned. “Why?” He knew why, yet his body wouldn’t listen to his brain. His body was burning, sinewy muscles of his chest barely holding his heartbeat back and Kuroo was right there, beneath him. 

“Preparations,” Kuroo answered.

Kei sat back on the bed.

“First,” Kuroo continued, “I need to woo you properly. With a poem, for example.” He propped himself on his elbows and harrumphed as if he was about to hold a long speech. “ _Shall I compare thee to a fickle kitten_ ~”

Kei dead-panned. “That’s just plagiarism.”

“Mhm? I thought it was pretty original.” Kuroo feigned innocence. Then his brow wrinkled and he put his hand on Kei’s thigh, squeezing reassuringly. “Sorry, I’m a bit nervous. I want to do this right. I want us both to feel as good as possible.”

“Me too.”

The sincerity in Kei’s voice relieved the tension in Kuroo’s brow and he smiled. “ _So_ ,” he said and jumped off the bed, “preparations. I’ll run to the store and get what we need. In the meantime, get undressed and lie on the bed seductively.”

Kei rolled his eyes dramatically. “Go before I change my mind.”

With that, Kuroo pressed a light kiss on his forehead and disappeared in the corridor.  Kei waited until he heard the front door close before he threw himself on the bed. The rapid beating of his heart was mocking him for being _that_ stupidly excited over something as simple as kissing, for wanting so much more. He rationalized it in his mind; he was like a kid who never tasted candy, but now that he has, he developed an insatiable sweet tooth in a matter of days.

Kei craved what was going to transpire once Kuroo returned, but he also feared he could get addicted – or that he wasn’t ready. It was a doubt that contradicted itself, brain versus body, but Kei didn’t want to give in to fear. Not when he had already researched so much; not when he dared be bold in front of Kuroo; not when he had already seen how mutual this feeling, this desire, was.

Feeling slightly on the edge, Kei went to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water. He rubbed reassuring circles on his temple and then wiped his face with a towel. Upon returning to his room, he started flicking through the magazine, not really seeing or reading anything, just feeling the touch of cheap, rugged paper on his hands.

The front door opened and closed with a small thud. Kei stayed still until Kuroo appeared in the doorway.

“We need to work on your definition of a seductive pose,” Kuroo teased.

Kei eyed the small bag Kuroo was carrying as he walked over to the bed. When he sat down, he proceeded to pull out what Kei recognized as a bottle of lube and a pack of condoms.

Kei felt a nervous flutter in the pit of his stomach. He licked his lips and when he looked up from the goodies on his bed to Kuroo, he was observing him with a small smirk.

“Are you one hundred percent sur—“

“Yes,” Kei interrupted him, “pull up the curtains.”

“Getting shy all of a sudden?” Kuroo seemed amused by the idea but Kei didn’t answer him.

Kuroo got up and closed the curtains, wrapping the room in a warm veil of dim light.

When he sat back on the bed, Kuroo said: “One more thing. I presume you have no experience, “ Kei made no movement to confirm or deny that statement even though it was the truth and also part of the reason why he was nervous in the first place, “and I, kind of, _do_. So I was thinking that I should, you know, bottom for the first time so that you can, well, see for yourself how this, erm, _goes_. If you’re okay with that.”

Kuroo seemed uncomfortable saying all that, as if he was worried about Kei’s reaction. But all Kei could be was _surprised_ ; he had thought about having sex with Kuroo for a few days now, but he never imagined Kuroo would be the one on the bottom –  more so for him to be the one to propose it in the first place.

“Sorry, did I cross the line?” Kuroo asked, as if alarmed by Kei’s silence.

“No, I was just caught off guard.” Kei kept his reply terse.

“So you’re okay with this?”

“Yes.”

Wasting no more words, Kei drew Kuroo in a slow, tentative kiss. Kuroo took control of it pretty soon and pushed Kei’s shoulders down. Their kisses grew sloppier as Kei started feeling light-headed from the rising heat of either the room or his body. Or both.

“Let me help you with that.” Kuroo said, a smile hiding in his words, and pulled Kei’s sweaty shirt off. Kei tugged at Kuroo’s shirt until it was removed as well.  When their naked flesh collided, Kei knew kissing wasn’t enough anymore.

Kei’s hands roamed around Kuroo’s chest, mischievously running over his nipples until Kuroo chuckled.

“Don’t bother; I feel nothing from my nipples.”

Kei all but pouted. “Okay, then how about this,” he said and buckled his hips into Kuroo’s, their moans betraying them at the same time.

“Mhm, better,” Kuroo teased and ground back into Kei, his moan turning into a groan. “I think I like it when you’re being an eager tease.”

Kei kissed him again and moved his hands lower to feel the curve of Kuroo’s ass; it felt as good as Kei thought it looked in volleyball shorts. Not to say that Kei stared back then...

Kuroo tore their lips apart and began kissing Kei’s jaw, nibbling on it gently, and then his neck, and to his chest where he left a trail of sloppy, wet kisses all the way down to the hem of his pants. He looked up to Kei who only nodded. When Kuroo started pulling his pants down, Kei closed his eyes – the only thing he could do to cope with the embarrassment. 

With his vision pitch black, Kei focused on what he felt: Kuroo mouthing at his erection through his underwear, Kuroo’s hands holding him down by the thighs, applying soft pressure whenever Kei panted and tried to raise his hips, a soft sensation of his underwear being slid down his legs, Kuroo’s thumb teasing the tip of his wet cock followed by the involuntary twitch of his thighs—

“Control yourself.” Kuroo ordered and the firmness, a tinge of something dark and possessive in his voice only added to Kei’s arousal.

Kei attempted to stay still but when he felt Kuroo’s mouth wrap around his cock, its thick warmth and a slow, torturous glide of Kuroo’s tongue made it almost impossible to do so. He moved his hips only as much as Kuroo’s hands allowed them to. Afraid that his moans would only confirm his status of a virgin, he bit the back of his hands.

When he felt a familiar heat pool in his stomach, he patted Kuroo’s hair.

“Wait, stop,” he said and Kuroo immediately pulled away, his expression that of worry. “You didn’t do anything wrong, stop it with that look.”

“What is it?”

“I want to...” Kei began, feeling conscious about what he was going to say next. “Take off your pants and underwear and...” he waved his hand above his head. “Come here.”

Kuroo took a few moments to process what Kei had just said, and when he did, he smiled jubilantly.

“You never fail to surprise me.”

“Hurry up before I lose my courage,” Kei sighed, definitely not feeling the snark he was trying to enforce.

Kuroo wordlessly did as he was told and removed his clothes quickly as if he didn’t want to lose this opportunity, or so Kei hoped. Kuroo’s erection was almost as prominent as his own and it served to relieve some of Kei’s edginess. But it was only when Kuroo positioned himself over Kei, that Kei realized how little he knew about what he was going to do now – he doubted a few amateur videos and blog posts could properly guide him.

But he wanted to do it. So badly.

“Relax, no need to rush,” Kuroo said.

Kei took a deep breath and spread Kuroo’s ass cheeks with his hands, bringing him slightly closer. He closed his eyes and decided to do what he felt was right and what Kuroo’s body responded best to. He circled his tongue around Kuroo’s hole and when he let out a sound, barely a whimper, it gave Kei a little confidence boost.  He plunged inside of him, tasting, exploring, stretching and seeking for that one tiny bundle of pleasure Kei knew existed _somewhere_. Kuroo rocked his hips in time with Kei’s laps and Kei soon had no choice but to replace his tongue with his fingers.

Kuroo welcomed it with a shallow thrust of his hips, and when he tensed a little, Kei slowed down.

“Don’t worry. You can continue at that pace. It’s just... it’s been a while.”

Kei added another finger, scissoring Kuroo with enviable focus, when he hit something that had Kuroo moaning and falling forward on his knees, their contact broken.

“ _Shit_.”

“You just wasted my efforts.” Kei noted smugly, happy to see a trail of precum leaking off Kuroo’s cock. He attempted to pull Kuroo back but he was stopped when Kuroo crawled back to straddle Kei’s hips.

“I can’t wait anymore.” He said as he reached for the bottle of lube, applying a generous coat of it on Kei’s cock. It knocked the breath out of Kei’s chest when Kuroo reached behind himself and slowly, agonizingly, deftly fingered himself until he was completely prepared. It made Kei wonder just _how_ familiar Kuroo was with his body.

Kei dared not speak a word even when Kuroo opened the condom wrapper and slid it over Kei’s length. He hissed at the coldness and slickness of the rubber but it was completely irrelevant, incomparable to how Kuroo looked at that very moment.

“I often thought about riding you,” he said, that damn smirk shamelessly splayed across his gorgeous facial features.

“Then, by all means...” Kei could barely recognize his voice, completely drenched in lust for the boy hovering above him.

Kuroo carefully lowered himself on Kei and let out a puff of air, trying to make himself as comfortable as possible. Kei didn’t want to start moving until the crease between Kuroo’s brow disappeared, no matter how the tightness around his cock beckoned him to thrust upward as hard as he could.

And then Kuroo ground down.

Kei immediately sought Kuroo’s thighs and dug his fingers into the hard flesh. The hot, tight feeling around his cock poured searing pleasure into his every nerve, his hips thrusting upwards when Kuroo ground down.

He wasn’t going to last long.

“Shit... _Kei_ ,” Kuroo moaned through his teeth, his eyes half-opened as if he’s afraid to miss a single moment of this sweaty mess.

Kei’s release was close, pooling and ready to burst from where he was joined with Kuroo, and he wanted Kuroo to be there too. He removed one of his hands from Kuroo’s thigh and got a hold of Kuroo’s erection. Kuroo sprang forward at the contact, a litany of _fuck yes’_ falling from his mouth. Kei stroked him with determined fervor while maintaining a steady, strong pace of his thrusts.

“Shit, I...” Kuroo didn’t finish, his orgasm stealing his words and transforming them into a string of broken moans. The muscles in his lower body stiffened, trapping him in a sweltering rush of short-lived ecstasy. The sight of Kuroo’s head thrown back, his Adam’s apple quivering and his fingers buried in the soft flesh of Kei’s thigh was engraved in the back of Kei’s mind; his very own Apollo come undone.

Kei stroked him through his orgasm, milking him of every single drop of pleasure, when his own orgasm hit and his back arched from the bed to go deeper into Kuroo.

Breathing heavily through their mouths, they separated and Kuroo plopped himself half on Kei, half on the drenched sheets. Kei couldn’t seem to move a muscle as his body reveled in the limbless feeling of having all pent-up frustration gone.

Kuroo removed the used condom and tossed it in the trash can right next to the bed.

“That was _fantastic_ ,” Kuroo said, breaking the chain of ragged breathing. “I actually thought it was going to suck. First times with someone _always_ suck.”

“ _Wow, thanks_. If you went into it with _those_ expectations, what the hell was I feeling nervous for?” Kei said, not feeling frustrated or offended in the slightest.

Kuroo smirked and kissed Kei’s damp forehead.  “You know what I meant. And this was more than satisfying for a first time. Can’t wait to be the one to fuck _you_.”

“Filter the shit that comes out of that filthy mouth of yours, please,” Kei said, his smile giving away his teasing intentions.

“As if _your_ mouth is any cleaner considering where it’s been...”

“ _Holy shit, Kuroo_.”

With that, Kuroo snuggled closer. “I want to spoon you until morning but I have to go now.”

“Why?”

“My parents are coming to pick up my grandma. She’s finally being transferred to a hospital in Tokyo.”

“I see. I’m glad she’s going to get proper treatment now.”

“Mhm...” Kuroo murmured, sounding as if he’s about to doze off.

“When tomorrow?”

“Early. Around 6.”

“I’ll be there.”

“ You don’t have to,” Kuroo said and raised his head to look at Kei.

“I want to.”

Kuroo smiled. “I really like you, you know that right?”

“Yes. I like you too.”

* * *

Early next morning, Kei strolled to Kuroo’s place. When he looked into the mirror that morning, he saw a smiling young man who looked a lot like him and no matter how hard he tried to wipe the stupid grin off his face, it just wouldn’t come off. So he decided to leave it there for once.

However, it disappeared completely when he walked around the corner to Kuroo’s house and spotted a black van next to which stood Kuroo, his grandma and two adults Kei didn’t recognize but assumed were Kuroo’s parents.

_It’s not like they know he’s dating their son. Or that they had sex yesterday._

He encouraged himself for a good minute and a half and then walked towards them, waving when Kuroo’s grandma noticed him first.

“Good morning. How are you feeling?”

Kuroo’s grandma smiled a toothless smile. “Better than I have been for weeks. I’m glad to have been able to see you before I leave. Thank you for looking after my silly grandson.”

Kuroo pouted at his grandma’s words and Kei couldn’t help but think it was a good look on him. “Grandma...!”

“And who is this young lad?” Kuroo’s dad crashed into their conversation.

“Dad, this is Tsukishima Kei. He’s a friend from high school and currently a co-worker who showed me around, ate my food and whom my grandma likes more than me for some reason.”

His grandma lightly punched his shoulder at that as Kei shook the hand Kuroo’s dad offered.

“Nice to meet you, sir.”

“No need to be so formal.” Kuroo’s mom added and moved in to hug Kei. It caught him off guard but he relaxed into the embrace just as it was over.

The four of them then exchanged banter Kei couldn’t possibly be a part of, and were ready to take off in half an hour.

“You have a whole week to yourself now. Be smart and don’t forget to clean up the place,” Kuroo’s mom said and caressed Kuroo’s cheek like he was a kid who needed to be comforted. What Kei found endearing was how lovingly Kuroo looked at his mother; he must’ve been a model son.

Kei and Kuroo waved at them until the car disappeared behind a corner, but even then they continued staring at that faraway spot. Then Kuroo’s fingers brushed Kei’s.

“Seven more days,” Kuroo said, a hint of vulnerability in his voice. It made Kei uncomfortable and insecure, unsure of what he could do to erase the feeling from Kuroo’s voice.

“You aren’t going to go all sentimental on me now, are you?” He teased, that being the only thing he could think of.

Kuroo smiled and turned to Kei. “Nah, I’m going to enjoy those seven days.”

Kei nodded and looked away, somehow starting to feel the same way under Kuroo’s gaze. “Mhm. Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least, the M-ness. My apologies for the delay, college wasn't kind to me but I hope it was worth the wait. I think this chapter spiraled out of control (that's an understatement) somewhere down the road but I decided to keep it that way. 
> 
> Happy holidays and thank you for your support so far! Reading your comments never fails to put a smile on my face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both 6th chapter and epilogue have been published. I've kept you waiting long enough. I hope you enjoy.

**_7 days until Kuroo’s departure_ **

There was a place on a hill behind Kei’s house; a small clearing which overlooked the city, with rows of neglected flowerbeds and an old, broken bench. It was a safe oasis to which Kei turned to when he couldn’t stay in the house anymore and wanted some peace and quiet – and he knew that place would provide him with both. There was a reason why nobody went there and it had something to do with the urban legend of the place being haunted by the people who died there back in the feudal days.

But Kei was never one to believe in ghosts.

He glanced at Kuroo who was chatting with a grandma while she was paying for her groceries. She was really fond of him and one could tell Kuroo was particularly gentle and patient with her. Kei reckoned it must be because his grandma left and he was feeling a little lonely.

Kei smiled at the idea of a clingy, lonely Kuroo but the thought immediately disappeared – as if Kuroo would ever be like that – but not before Kuroo caught glimpse of it. He winked at Kei, not once stopping in what he was doing. Kei merely went back to re-stocking washing-machine powder while stealing a glance or two at Kuroo every now and then.

Kei really wanted to take him to his secret place. But that’d be cliché, out-of-character and completely unnecessary.

**_6 days until Kuroo’s departure_ **

Kei took him there anyway.

It was right after work that he asked Kuroo if he had time to go somewhere (to which he replied in his usual, flirty ‘I have all the time in the world for you’ manner). Kei only rolled his eyes and told Kuroo to follow him. They went to his house where he picked up his volleyball ball, and then they continued on their way.

“You know, sometimes I want to hold your hand but you always keep either of them occupied, or in your pockets,” Kuroo said, relaxed. Kei couldn’t tell if he was joking or not.

Kei glanced around; they were making their way over a short fence that lead to a usually-muddy path which led straight  uphill. He clicked his tongue and extended his free hand to Kuroo.  Kuroo's eyes widened.

“Whoa, _that_ easily?” He commented.

“Hurry up before I change my mind,” Kei said, and he didn’t have to say it twice. Kuroo took his hand and they strolled down the path. Kei was glad it didn’t rain in the past week; otherwise this trip wouldn’t have been impossible because the area surrounding the path was sloped and heavy downpour turns this place into a mini river.  

The hand holding Kuroo’s was clammy; maybe it was the heat, maybe it was the realization that they’re a lot like lovers rendezvousing to their secret nest. He opted for the first option because it was less embarrassing.

Kei hasn’t been there since the summer vacation started but the place still looked the same: a wide open-space of grass that hasn’t been mowed in ages, the bench with broken armrests, remains of flowerbeds and a thick forest laying itself bare behind the bench. And _the view_ – the view was always worth the trip.

Kei stole a glance at Kuroo; his mouth was slightly agape and his hand squeezed Kei’s.

“Like the view?” Kei asked, unsure of what Kuroo’s silence meant. He wished to learn the language of Kuroo’s silence one day.

“You don’t get to see views like these in Tokyo.”

“Figured.”

And then it hit him – this was a scene straight out of a shoujo manga. They were a couple, holding hands in the most cliché secluded place and looking at the scenery. The only thing that was missing was the sunset but it was only three in the afternoon

 “This setup is giving me the _tinglies_ ,” Kuroo commented and Kei wondered if he could read his mind.

“Let’s just toss the ball, please.”

Kuroo’s eyebrow shot up. “Oh ~ _Embarrassed_?”

“ _No_.”

Kuroo was smirking at this point but Kei didn’t give him a chance to say anything else when he served the ball. He didn’t hit it hard, just enough for it to make it to Kuroo. The ball was returned to him just as lightly.

They played for a long while, just tossing the ball back and forth; Kei loved the focus on Kuroo’s face. The concentration and power he displayed even when they were just playing around reminded Kei of why he admired Kuroo so much. His mind and body seemed to be one; a machine with a strong, determined heart at its core. Once a captain, always a captain.

After a while, Kei’s control slipped and the ball he served flew towards the bushes near the entrance of the forest. He began running for it and so did Kuroo. They lunged at the ball at the same time and their heads painfully collided, sending both of them rolling until Kei’s body hit a tree and Kuroo’s body landed on his own.

“Ouch,” Kuroo said but made no move to get up. Instead he snuggled closer to Kei.

Kei’s back and head throbbed but he couldn’t muster up strength to move.

“You’re heavy...” he huffed and pinched Kuroo’s elbow.

“ _It’s the weight of my love_.”

“How the hell did you not melt on this heat when you’re so damn cheesy,” Kei said as Kuroo’s hair tickled his nose. They were both sweaty, their necks damp, and the closeness of Kuroo’s body pressed down on his own. Kei felt like he was going to be suffocated by this warmth.

“Do you hate it?” Kuroo lifted his head and his glazed eyes bore into Kei’s. Their noses were almost touching and Kei felt every puff of air Kuroo exhaled.

“I wouldn’t say I hate it... I just don’t know what to say when you go all poetic on me,” Kei answered hoping that the heat in his cheeks was because of the adrenaline rush and _not_ from shyness.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just continue blushing and getting flustered over it. I like that. _A lot_.”

Kei really wanted to punch him but he went for Kuroo’s lips where he planted a small, surprise peck.

 _As if_ he’s going to keep losing to this damn flirt.

**_5 days until Kuroo’s departure_ **

“Are you texting your mom?”

It was their lunch break and Kei was in the middle of munching on his sandwich when he saw Kuroo complacently smiling over his phone's display.

“ _Hm_? No, Kenma.”

“ _Oh_? Can that guy even change his diaper now that you’re not around?”

Kuroo pulled Kei by his nose. “Don’t talk shit about Kenma.” Kuroo said and released him.

Kei softly rubbed the deserved burn.  “Sorry. I actually _do_ admire the guy. After all, he can keep a piece of work like you on a leash with no problem.”

“You’re a little shit, you know that?” Kuroo smirked, tangled his fingers into Kei’s hair and softly pulled him in for a kiss Kei couldn’t dominate at all. It left his lips bruised and wet, and his head in a complete mess.

Even so, Kei managed to mutter: “Endure. ‘ _It’s the weight of my love’_.” He repeated Kuroo’s words but his attempt of mockery fell short.

**_4 days until Kuroo’s departure_ **

“Is this a romantic dinner?”

“No,” Kuroo said, but a hint of laughter in his voice gave him away.

“There’s a _candle_ on the table.”

“ _So what_ , this place needed some light.”

Kei stood in Kuroo’s kitchen completely frozen. He has never been on a date before, and so far Kuroo and he only hanged out, but this atmosphere seemed a lot like a date. There was a candle on the table and a single rose in a vase. So, it was _definitely_ a date.

When Kei showed no intention to move, Kuroo approached him and locked his arms around Kei’s waist.

“Is there a problem?”

Kei considered. There was no problem at all. He was simply caught off guard. When Kuroo invited him over, he really only braced himself for a movie night.

“No. So, what does one expect from a Kuroo when on a date?” 

Kuroo pretended to be thinking hard. “Hmm... Well, _first_ , I’m going to fill you up with this delicious food. And then I’m going to _feel_ you up. And then _fill you up_. If you want to, of course.”

Kei gulped. “I’d love that.”

It was hard to swallow the food. The problem wasn’t in the food itself, of course, but in the knot of nervousness and anticipation both in Kei’s throat and stomach. He tasted the succulence of each bite and the sweetness of the liquid, but it never quenched the hunger growling in the pit of his stomach.

He was turning into a person he didn’t recognize at all because of a single promise uttered by Kuroo’s lips. When his eyes met across the table with Kuroo’s, he saw the same feeling reflected there.

It put him at ease.

 It set him on fire.

They didn’t wash the dishes when they finished eating.

Kuroo led him to his room. Or what was left of it. It was empty save for a few travel bags and a futon sprawled at the center of the room.

Kei allowed Kuroo to push him down and kiss him hard and relentless. He never had a chance against this overpowering desire he wasn’t mature enough for yet. He thought he’d get attuned to it by now but Kuroo was like a ruthlessly sinuous river, he flowed endlessly and mercilessly. Kei could do nothing but give himself up to the stream.

Kuroo undressed him piece by piece and pressed hot kisses on each freshly-exposed piece of skin. He probably left a few hickeys but Kei was too busy knotting his fingers in Kuroo’s hair, and pulling at it when he felt like he was going to burst, to notice.

It was definitely different.

And it hurt.

 _A lot_.

No matter how well Kuroo’s fingers stretched him and how lubed-up he was, nothing could prepare him for the burn of Kuroo’s cock entering him for the first time.

“ _Breathe_ ,” Kuroo gasped through ragged breath. He was trying to move easy, slowly to get Kei used to the stretch. But Kei felt the strain it was putting on him; he felt the twitch of Kuroo’s cock inside of him and wished it would stop burning.

“Keep going,” Kei encouraged him as he wrapped his legs around Kuroo’s hips to try and push him further in. Kuroo’s restrains snapped for a moment and he thrust forward; the burn brought tears to Kei’s eyes but there was also something, a very weak _something_ , which began waking up.

Kuroo lowered his torso over Kei and kissed him; the kiss hushed Kei’s groans when Kuroo started thrusting, grinding, _searching_ for that little bud of pleasure in Kei while enhancing his own. Kuroo had more control over his lower half and he was patient; each thrust had a purpose and soon enough his efforts bore fruit.

“Shit, Kuroo, there—“ Kei all but moaned, too far good to feel shame.

“ _Finally_ ,” Kuroo huffed as if he was holding his breath all this time.

Kuroo sped up his thrusts, each of them drawing a moan or a pant from Kei’s mouth until he came all over his abdomen. Kuroo came shortly thereafter and collapsed on top of him. It took them a long while to steady their breathing, and it was only then that Kuroo shifted half of his weight off Kei and rested his head on Kei’s chest.

“So, I presume you liked it?”

“Yeah,” he puffed, there was still pressure in his chest.  He glanced at the mess on him, on Kuroo and the tied, tossed condom. “We should go clean ourselves.”

“There’s time,” Kuroo said. “First, I need to know something: which do you prefer? Top or bottom?”

Kei pondered for a moment. It felt equally good to him. Being held or being the one who held... it didn’t matter to him so long as it’s with Kuroo.

He smiled to himself.

Maybe he was turning cheesy as well.

“Let’s switch from time to time,” Kei exclaimed and brushed the damp hair out of Kuroo’s eyes.

“ _Ho ho_ , so you want to keep me guessing? That’s so like you.”

“Gotta keep you entertained.”

**_3days until Kuroo’s departure_ **

**Today, 4:35 pm, Kuroo:**

_What are you wearing?_

**Today, 4:39 pm, Me:**

_Clothes._

**Today, 4:41 pm, Kuroo:**

_I am so disappointed._

**Today, 4:43 pm, Me:**

_What do you want?_

**Today, 4:46 pm, Kuroo:**

_To see you._

**Today, 4:47 pm, Me:**

_You saw me at work._

**Today, 4:53 pm, Kuroo:**

_It’s not enough. My Kei-battery isn’t completely charged_

**Today, 4:54 pm, Me:**

_..._

**Today, 4:58 pm, Me:**

_You pushed me against the shelf in the storage and made out with me for 5 minutes until manager caught us and walked away muttering ‘ah, youth’._

**Today, 4:59 pm, Kuroo:**

_That still wasn’t enough..._

**Today, 5:01 pm, Me:**

_I was so embarrassed... I hope you spend the rest of your life low on Kei-battery..._

**Today, 5:03pm, Kuroo:**

_Kei-battery (¬_ _‿_ _¬) I want to plug my charger in you_

**Today, 5:07 pm, Me:**

_I am blocking your number._

**Today, 5:08pm, Kuroo:**

_Or you could come over…_

**Today, 5:09 pm, Me:**

_I’ll be there in ten minutes._

**_2 days until Kuroo’s departure_ **

The day before was the last day at work for both of them. The manager, who hopefully didn’t mention the storage incident, thanked them for their hard work and said he’d be more than willing to hire them next summer.

Kei hoped they’d have a whole day to laze around and make-out but Kuroo left the cleaning of his grandma’s house for the last day; and today was _that_ day. Instead of getting a tongue in his mouth, he got a mop and a bucket in his hands.

“You do the kitchen and the living room, and I’ll take care of bedrooms and the bathroom.”

Kei sighed but did his part of the job without a single complaint.  He was surprised at the amount of dust in the corners and underneath the furniture but he couldn’t blame an old woman for not being able to keep this place in check when she was not feeling well. He thoroughly cleaned every nook and cranny until the place was so clean that one could eat from any flat surface.

He joined Kuroo who was having trouble with the bathroom and scrubbing the mold off the tiles. They ended up having to use a few tricks Kei had learned in chemistry class.

By the time they had finished, they were both dead-tired, their limbs limp and tangled around each other as they lay on the couch.

“I’m so tired I can’t move,” Kuroo said as his head hung from the edge of the couch.

“Same.”

“I want to make out.”

“I can’t move.”

“Me neither.”

They laughed at the realization they sounded like a retired couple.

Kei learned there was nothing dissatisfying about simply having Kuroo by his side; not doing anything, just _being_.

**_1 day until Kuroo’s departure_ **

“I can’t board this train knowing that you’ll cry,” Kuroo spoke as he leaned on the doors of the train. The train station was surprisingly empty but then again they arrived quite early.

“I won’t cry.”

Kuroo dramatically buried his face in his hands. “Ah, what will my Kei do now that his beloved one will depart…? My poor Kei will cry.”

Kei rolled his eyes and stepped forward, grabbed Kuroo’s wrists and removed his hands from his face. Then he pressed him into the hard surface of the train and kissed him. He kissed him like he was saying “ _goodbye_ ” and “ _see you soon_ ” all at once.

When they parted lips, Kuroo’s eyes were watery.

“I am going to cry.”

“ _Don’t cry_ ,” Kei warned. He was feeling warm around the heart for some reason. Like he was sad, but also overwhelmingly happy at the same time. He didn’t plan to fall for Kuroo _this_ hard, but by the time he had noticed, he was already in too deep.

He brought Kuroo in for an embrace, feeling slightly smug at their subtle height difference. Kuroo wrapped his arms around Kei's waist.

“Text me a lot,” Kuroo muttered in Kei’s neck. Then he kissed it.

“I will.”

“Call me sometimes.”

“I will.”

“Send me nudes.”

“If you behave.”

Kuroo laughed and broke the embrace. “I’m really going to miss you.”

“It’s not like you live on the other side of the world, you know.”

Kuroo flicked Kei’s forehead.  “Stop being so mature, I’m the older one here.”

“And you’re crying.”

“I’m _not_ crying.”

They kissed for a while, until more people came pouring in, and then it was time for Kuroo to board the train.

No goodbyes were exchanged – at least not verbally, formally.

Kei kept waving at Kuroo until the train completely disappeared out of his sight, swallowed by the distant sky.

And like that, Kei’s summer was over.


	7. Epilogue

“Tokyo University? Excellent choice, Tsukishima-kun. You are one of our most promising students and as long as you keep your grades the way they’ve been so far, I’m sure you’ll make it,” said the professor with a proud smile.  Kei was in the middle of guidance counseling of sorts but he had made up his mind and wrote down his choice a long time ago.

“Thank you, Sir. I will do my best.”

With that, he bowed and left the room. Outside, Yamaguchi was waiting for him. He went in before Kei and had plans of studying in Tokyo as well. Not at the same university, however.

“How did it go?”

“He seemed happy with my choice.”

“Of course he was. You’re one of his brightest students. ”

That’s when Kei’s phone vibrated.

**Today, 10:15am, Kuroo:**

_today was your guidance? what did you decide? should I open the champagne?_

**Today, 10:17am, Me:**

_I don’t know, should you…~?_

**Today, 10:19am, Kuroo:**

_you tease… gonna give this old Kuroo a heart attack_

**Today, 10:21am, Me:**

_Old Kuroo should focus more on opening champagne and less on dying_

**Today, 10:22am, Kuroo:**

_That’s my boy <3_

Yamaguchi harrumphed.

“Texting Kuroo?”

“How did you know?”

“You were smiling. So you two are… a thing?” Yamaguchi warily looked up at Kei. For some reason, Kei felt calm even now that his ‘secret’ has been revealed. If anything, he was relieved.

“Yeah. Again, _how_ did you know?”

Yamaguchi shrugged. “I’m not sure. There was that _air_ around you two when we were in your room that time. Let’s just call it my superior intuition.”

Kei cocked his eyebrow. “That’s some intuition then. So… we’re good?”

“Of course,”Yamaguchi smiled and Kei knew he meant it.

He hadn’t meant to keep his relationship with Kuroo from Yamaguchi for so long but he never found the right time to tell him. But it turned out he knew and waited for the right moment as well. Kei smiled, grateful.

“So, we have one more year to go,” Yamaguchi sighed, changing the topic.

“It’s still too early to get sad.”

“I’m not sad. I’m just going to miss all this. Volleyball. And hanging out with everyone.”

Kei felt the same. But he wanted to move forward with no regrets. It’s not over until it’s over.

Kei patted Yamaguchi on his head, to comfort him (and himself, probably).

“Here’s to the last year.”

Yamaguchi grinned, that warm, familiar grin. “For the last year!”

Kei’s phone vibrated again.

**Today, 10:25am, Kuroo:**

_See you soon._

Kei smiled at the text.

 _Soon_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of this journey! This story was entertaining to write, especially the little verbal exchanges between Kei and Kuroo. KuroTsuki will always have a special place in my heart; these two adorable, funny guys whose chemistry is so good that I can imagine them being 60 and still teasing each other over crappy horror movies. I'm getting side-tracked here. 
> 
> But, thank you all for being patient with me, for commenting and leaving kudos! I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing. And special thanks to Sonic the Hedgehog.


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